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New rules on how councils can issue parking fines will be announced by the government next month, as revenue from parking tickets soars. Figures from the Community department show London councils took in the highest amount of money from parking tickets in 2012-13.

Westminster council raked in £24.5 million dollars in fines while Hammersmith and Fullham made £17.9 million followed by £17.2 million for Hackney council.

The government will soon ban councils from using CCTV and other static cameras to issue parking tickets, forcing councils to rely on traffic wardens.

Councils raked in the cash last year thanks to parking charges, according the RAC Foundation. Local authorities across England generated a combined profit of £594 million from their on and off-street parking operations throughout 2012/13, the foundation said.

The four councils which took the most money were all in London, according to the foundation. Credit: PA Wire

Quoting data from the department of communities and local government, the RAC said there was a 5% increase of the surplus of £565 million from the previous year. Only 52 of the 353 councils in England reported a deficit in 2012/13.

RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "There's no disputing the figures we have looked at. They are the numbers the councils themselves submit to central government.

He added: "What's more, council budgets show that the surplus for the current year is set to be higher."

Councils do not make a profit out of car parking fees as every penny raised from motorists has to go back into "transport related things" like road maintenance and free bus passes, a local councillor told Daybreak.